I remember being a kid learning about dinosaurs and the different eras and pre-historic animals and civilizations. I’ll be honest I wasn’t a big fan {lol}. I think that if the information had been presented to me in a fun, interactive way then I would have enjoyed it a lot more. That’s why I am loving the evolution toys from Charlie’s Playhouse! They sent me the Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat to review and they sure aren’t kidding when they say GIANT. It is huge! When the entire play mat is open, it is 18 feet long. That’s 18 feet of learning fun for kids. They can literally “walk” through the history of the earth and life with the playmat. The cool part? When closed, it is the size of a book.

Inside the book, you literally have millions and millions of years of information, including:

67 strange and wonderful creatures from the fossil record, arranged on sea, land and sky

Animal names with pronunciation guides

Bubble quote for each creature

A time “ruler” measuring from 600 million years ago to today in 20 million year steps

12 geologic periods with pronunciation guides

Six mass extinctions

Storybook narrative of major events during each geologic period

Simple thoughts about evolution from “Charlie” Darwin throughout

Footprints for kids to follow, walking through time at 40 million years per step.

The back of the book has 20 activities for boys and girls ages 4 to 10. Plus, you’ll find a lot of information that will be helpful for educators and parents, such as FAQs and a Glossary of terms with easy to understand definitions. The actual playmat itself is extremely durable–as in kids CAN PLAY AND HAVE FUN without moms worrying that it will rip or tear. It is made from an environmentally friendly synthetic paper called Polylith(tm) and is printed in the US. It actually just won the Dr. Toy Green Products Award!

I think the Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat would be wonderful for homeschoolers or to augment what children learn at school. Plus, for kids that already love dinosaurs–the playmat will be a real treat and help expand their knowledge! Other products to check out at Charlie’s Playhouse–the Ancient Creature Cards and Timeline Poster.

See It In Action:

About Charlie’s Playhouse {from the press release}:Rhode Island-based Charlie’s Playhouse LLC makes the first-ever games and toys that teach children about evolution, natural selection and Charles Darwin. The company was founded by scientist and mom Kate Miller, Ph.D., after she was unable to find fun, educational products for her two young sons that addressed evolution. Dr. Miller is a consultant to the Evolution Readiness Project at Concord Consortium in Concord, MA. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project is creating a computer-based curriculum to teach fourth graders about evolution, to be tested in a dozen schools in MA, TX and MO. Prior to founding Charlie’s Playhouse, Dr. Miller researched women’s reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. She holds a Ph.D. in demography from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University.

Want It: The Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat is recommended for ages 4 and up. The Playmat retails for $49 and can be purchased online at CharliesPlayhouse.com.

This contest is closed. Congratulations to the winner, Grad School Mommy!